Hopeless Case
by I-Can-Spell-Confusion-With-A-K
Summary: A week ago things were different. A week ago they were all separate people, living seperate lives. Now their very survival depends on each other. Will they self destruct, or will things somehow be...different? Initial reactions to the crash.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

A week ago everything had been different. Nathan and Taylor had been dating. Daley was freaking out over a school election. Eric had been plotting to hook up with Taylor. Melissa had been bending over backward to be a good friend to Nathan. And Jackson, well, he had been sitting in the back of a police car thinking his life was over. The thing was, he had no idea that in only a week he would be thinking this again as his plane plummeted toward the ocean.

Jackson gripped the armrests of his seat and forced himself to glance out the window. All he saw was a grayish blur as the sky rushed by with alarming speed. No, that wasn't right. It was the plane that was rocketing toward nothing, Jackson realized, his stomach rising briefly into his throat. He swallowed hard, regaining some control over his body. IF he was going to die on this stupid plane, he wasn't going to spend his last few minutes on Earth throwing up. Ripping his eyes away from the window his gaze fell on that Daley girl who was sitting across the narrow aisle. She had a death grip on her little brother's leg, and her mouth was moving but not making a sound. The kid's eyes were huge, but he wasn't screaming. That would be that Jory chick at the front of the plane, a high pitched shriek repeating over and over.

"Will somebody shut her up?" The captain yelled, his voice was panicked and he was sweating through his obnoxious pineapple shirt.

Leave her alone, Jackson wanted to say. Let her express herself however she wants, we're all about to do die, why shouldn't she scream?

Jackson saw the girl he thought was named Abby or Annie grab Jory's arm and pinch it hard, and the screams died away. It wasn't much of an improvement, now the sounds of the wind and tearing metal could be heard much more clearly. Behind Jory and Abby (or was it Annie?) were Nathan and Melissa. He didn't really know them either, but at least he was sure of their names. Nathan had given him a ride home a couple of times, and Melissa had actually convinced him to go on this trip. He'd have to remember to thank her for that one.

"It's going to be ok Mel." Nathan was saying.

Liar. Jackson had to admire the kid's effort though.

Across from Nathan, in the plane's only row of three sat Ian, Taylor, and Eric. Jackson didn't know Ian at all, and the guy's blank stare didn't offer much information. Taylor had been Nathan's girlfriend a week ago, Jackson was pretty sure. Now she was bent forward muttering, "Help! Help!". Eric was talking too, "Oh man…oh man…".

Leave it to rich kids to feel the need to be talkative as they raced toward their imminent and unavoidable doom. Oh well, to each his own. For his part Jackson would end it all in silence. Except that wasn't exactly true. On top of all the surrounding noise, his earphones were still echoing faintly with aggressive Samoan rap music. Suddenly, Jackson had a fleeting wish that he had more peaceful music to die to. For an even shorter instant, he regretted his decision to sit alone. He didn't want to go down holding onto nothing but his armrest.

What was taking so long? It seemed like it had been hours not minutes. Jackson quickly calculated how long it would take the news of his death to spread back home.

"3 days until my foster mother finds out…a week for my jerk of a social worker…a month until my "friends" hear about it…and then **MAYBE** someone will think to tell my mom"…Jackson swallowed hard, aware that even now he wasn't going to cry…and then…impact.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Melissa's eyes were squeezed closed so tightly that little dots had begun to flood the view behind her eyelids. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. Without opening her eyes she groped for Nathan's hand and gripped it tightly.

"It's going to be ok." Her best friend's voice was so familiar, so steady, so…normal, that Melissa felt ashamed of her own crippling fear. Wasn't he terrified? How could he not be? She could head someone screaming over and over…it was like a nightmare.

The feeling in the pit of Melissa's stomach was exactly the reason she had always hated roller coasters. That sensation of the ground dropping out from beneath you, your body rising off the seat…only this wasn't an amusement park. This was the opposite of amusing. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

"We're going to die. We're going to die and I haven't lived…I haven't done anything. Not a thing…I wish…"

Melissa's thoughts were interrupted by the plane's abrupt and forceful impact with…water? Something felt too solid…but she couldn't bring herself to look.

"Mel, you're hurting me. You can let go now." Nathan said, prying his hand away from hers.

Slowly opening her eyes, Melissa realized they'd somehow landed on…well, land. Still in shock she stood up shakily and looked around. Everyone else was already filing toward the door, how long had she been sitting their like an idiot? She caught the new kid Jackson looking at her with what? Disgust? Curiosity? Indifference?

She reached up and quickly wiped away the remaining tears. God, no one else had cried, not even Jory who'd been screaming like a maniac. Jackson had reached her aisle of seats by this point. He didn't say anything, but he stopped to let her go in front of him. Melissa took the opportunity to flee the plane, promising herself from now on she'd hold it together. Anyway, the worst was over now…right?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Daley was all about control. When you had control you could steer your life in any direction you wanted. So far this belief had made her class president and a sure thing for valedictorian next year, but it didn't appear to be having any affect on their situation now. Daley was all too aware what happened when you lost control. Things fall apart. People die.

"Well, not on my watch." Daley though to herself as she took in their surroundings.

"Daley, you ok?" It was Nathan. He'd been acting weird since she'd beat him in the class election, and now he suddenly cared? It was more likely that he just wanted to step in and catch her in a moment of weakness.

"We all are Nathan." She snapped. "I already checked."

He just stared at her, and for a second she almost felt guilty. It passed quickly.

"I think we should…" She started, but he cut her off, shaking his head.

"You know what Daley? I'm sure you can handle it." With that he turned and walked towards a sand dune a short distance down the beach.

Daley stared after him in shock. Sure, she should have been nicer, but didn't he get it? Look around people! This was survival now! Looking around for back up she saw Jackson watching her. What was it about this kid and just staring silently at people? It was creepy! He had this look on his face that really ticked her off, so she glared at him. When he didn't drop his gaze, or so much as blink, Daley spun on her heel to look for Lex. If anyone had to listen to her, it was her little brother. Daley would regain control of the situation. She had no doubt of that…well…not much anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Taylor Hagan was used to making an entrance, but this was a little ridiculous. She couldn't believe that gross pilot guy had botched their landing so much. The other plane was probably down the beach at the airport, and everyone was probably laughing their heads off about the fact that Taylor's group had somehow missed the runway.

"Do you think they'll send a shuttle?" Taylor asked, her tone bored. "I'm not walking all over this island." The only one who heard her was Eric, and he gave her a look like he was seeing her for the first time.

"Uh…Taylor? This island isn't the island."

Taylor blinked a few times but didn't respond. What was he talking about? Eric had been tagging along behind her since they'd left the airport in L.A., and he was starting to really get on her nerves.

"We…uh…crashed." Eric raised one hand and slammed it down on to his other hand to give her a visual.

"Yeah, but…" Taylor trailed off. "Ok, well…" She stopped again. "But we're not going to be here long, right?" She asked finally, her trademark smile returning.

"Oh yeah, of course not, no problem." Eric seemed to decide the situation wasn't so bleak after all.

"Well, in that case…" Taylor grinned and started peeling off her clothes to reveal her bikini. She had been promised a beachside vacation, and no one, and nothing was going to rain on her parade.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Eric could hardly believe he was really awake. This whole day felt like a beyond bizarre dream. First it had been a nightmare as they fell out of the sky, but now Taylor was wearing a bikini and smiling at **him** in that flirtatious way she usually reserved for the football team. That had certainly been the case last week. Last week she'd been Nathan's girlfriend, last week she hadn't even known Eric was alive. But with a little creative effort on Eric's part and Taylor was a free agent just in time for their romantic getaway (so what if Nathan was coming too…he was out of the picture for good). Sure, he had some nagging doubts about this whole plane crash thing. But opportunities like this were not made to be squandered.

Eric glanced around to make sure Nathan wasn't watching…they hadn't been broken up **that** long and self preservation was his 1st priority…then he took off his shirt and followed Taylor towards the water. Taylor was beyond clueless, but totally hot. Besides, odds were rescue would appear on the horizon in ten minutes, and then this trip was over, along with any chance he had of dating Taylor Hagan. Seize the day and all that…besides, he was sure Daley was worrying enough for all of them.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys made my day: ) Keep reviewing and I may be able to keep up the motivation to keep a steady(or at least steady-ish) flow of new chapters:p

Chapter 6:

Nathan felt like he was being punked. It was really too much for one day. He'd been able to handle the plane crash pretty well, certainly better than poor Melissa who looked as though she still hadn't caught her breath. No, what had really sent him over the edge, what was truly beyond comprehension, was the fact that Daley was still trying to act like she was in charge. Not that she'd ever really been "in charge". She'd only been class president for…what? A week? And since it was summer vacation, her duties, and more importantly her authority, didn't begin for months! Not that details like that mattered to Daley. To her things were cut and dry…he'd lost, she'd won. She was in charge, he was not.

"Well, Earth to Daley!" Nathan muttered to himself as he crossed the beach quickly, his anger increasing his speed. "Being class president doesn't mean a thing when you're stranded on a desert island."

He fought back the fear that threatened to rush in as he admitted to himself that their situation was exactly that. As soon as the plane had hit land, Nathan had been out of his seat, trying to figure out what was going on. Well, ok, so first he had to make sure Melissa was still breathing, and wrestle his hand away from her, but he'd still been the first one to hit the beach. What he'd seen filled him with both apprehension and awe. Before he'd exited the plane, he'd had a frail hope that somehow they'd made it to their destination, Palau. That hope was quickly extinguished, however, once he saw the exquisite white sand that stretched as far as the eye could see…the dense jungle that didn't seem to have an end…the water they could just as easily have been dropped in a moment ago…and he just knew. There wasn't anyone else on this island. They were alone. He knew that in theory there could be people just a few yards into the growth, or a few miles up the beach…but something instinctual told him they weren't that lucky.

Nathan's instincts had always been pretty good. His great-great-great grandfather had been a semi-famous explorer who'd conquered the elements with little more than the McHugh family instincts. Of course, Nathan was pretty good at ignoring his initial gut reactions too. But wasn't that part of being a good leader? Taking chances, trusting people…Daley had nothing on him as far as that went. Not that Nathan thought that gave him the right to boss people around. Just thinking about Daley biting his head off was enough to make him clench his fists as he neared the crest of the sand dune.

"That's what I get for trying to be nice." Nathan muttered. "Nobody likes the nice guy…first Taylor, now Daley." He turned his thoughts from Taylor as quickly as he could. She'd dumped him last week…in assembly…roughly two seconds after they'd announced Daley had beat him the election. Yeah, that sucked. Though looking back, he couldn't seem to remember what it was he'd liked so much about Taylor. Sure, she was beautiful but so were lots of girls. It was something about her attitude that just conveyed confidence, and…whatever. The point was the spell was broken now.

Nathan reached the top of the dune and took in his surroundings.

"Oh man." He really hated being right sometimes.


	7. Chapter 7

Merry Christmas everybody! Your gift is a chapter and hopefully you'll return the favor by reviewing! Hope everyone has a great holiday! 

Chapter 7:

Lex was used to being ignored. In general, ten year olds were pretty easy to overlook. As a rule grown ups didn't pay much attention to anyone more than a couple of feet shorter than them, and even among ten year olds Lex was really leaning towards the short side. It didn't help matters that his main interests were science and history. He didn't care much for baseball, or video games, or anything else the other guys in his class at school were in to. He usually spent any free time during school reading or looking up cool articles on the internet. His teachers loved it, they were constantly telling him he'd really make something out of himself someday. His classmates however, weren't so kind. They wanted to make something out of Lex right now…they wanted to make him out to be a freak. A brain, a boring, geeky kid. Needless to say he didn't have a lot of friends. But Lex didn't really feel deprived or anything, at least not most of the time.

His parents had gotten divorced when Lex was five. He didn't really remember much about his Dad from before he left…and the memories Lex did have from afterwards weren't that great. His Dad just showed up every other month or so, took Lex for ice cream or something, and then took off again to go who knows where. Once he brought Lex a baseball glove, and even though he could care less about baseball, he still had it in the back of his closet.

Lex figured half the reason he was so…different from the other kids at school was the fact that as soon as his Dad left he felt as though it was his responsibility to take care of his mom. He was just a kid, but he started trying to think of ways to make things easier for her. People sometimes called him a genius, but Lex knew he was really just a kid who had trained himself to think.

A couple of years ago Lex's mom had married a pretty nice guy, and he'd gotten a stepfather and a new sister. That would be Daley. She was great, really. But sometimes it was hard for Lex to adjust. Daley was also the type of person who felt an obligation to take care of those she cared about (probably because of what happened to her mom), and Lex was too used to taking care of himself to like getting watched over by anyone.

All of that seemed so far away now. Yesterday their parents had dropped him and Daley off at the airport in L.A., and now look at them…only Lex knew no one was looking at him. He'd been trying to get everyone's attention since they'd crashed. As soon as he'd gotten off of the plane, Daley had patted him down from head to toe, probably looking for broken bones or something. Lex grudgingly allowed this, knowing it would be faster just to submit. After that she'd wandered off to check on everyone else, and he'd taken a good look around.

A quick scan of their surroundings told him all he needed to know for the time being. Help wasn't just around the corner, and although they'd been lucky the sand had broken their fall somewhat, the beach wasn't really the ideal location for their plane to be stranded…the tide was going to be coming in eventually, and when it did…

Lex looked around again, surely SOMEONE would realize how important this was…just then Taylor and Eric sprinted past him towards the water. They were really going swimming?

"Just another day at the beach." Jackson shook his head and headed toward the edge of the jungle.

Daley was already half way down the beach, and Nathan was even farther away. The pilot was fiddling with the radio, which was producing nothing but static, and Jory, Ian, and Abby were hovering over his shoulder watching his non-existent progress.

Melissa was still standing next to him, but she looked like she was still in shock.

Lex felt a little sorry for her. She'd gotten pretty freaked out on the plane, well, they all had, but Melissa was obviously pretty sensitive…in other words, she wasn't like him and Daley. She wasn't the type of person who could bury her emotions...it was no reason to be embarrassed, and Nathan had pretty much made her feel just that.

"Maybe you should sit down." Lex told her carefully.

"I'm fine." She shook her head as if to convince herself it was true.

"Well, then I guess you could help me…" Lex started.

"I'm sorry Lex, but I really want to go make sure Nathan's ok. He seemed kind of upset after he talked to Daley…maybe she could help you until I get back?" Melissa was nice, but obviously distracted.

"Yeah, I understand, but…" Lex started to protest.

"Thanks Lex, I'll be right back." And with that she set off across the beach.

Lex sighed. Yes, he was used to being ignored. But it never really got any easier at all.


End file.
